I enjoyed this short history of this fascinating character from the American West. Calamity Jane is a real person wrapped in the legends she created herself, but her life is interesting anyway. She told stories that made herself part of events where she wasn't really present.
It was quite a clever way for a long woman to make a living back in those days -- she was an entertainer who figured out how to earn money in little odd ways during a time when women usually stayed home. What a life of adventure!
It's also great that there are several real photos of her at the end.

This is a very short version of Calamity Jane’s life, as told towards the end of her life. She worked hard, first on Pony Express, and then on other adventures in the “Wild West”. She thinks about returning to her old life, after being in a Wild West show, in 1901, but others tell her you can’t go home again. There is no more wild west, even if there ever was one. The buffalo are gone, the native people have lost the land. There is nothing there for her.

She leaves just the same, and that is where the story ends. After that, there is information about her, including photos as well as a little more background.

This is such a short story, that I think that kids reading this will want to know more about her life, and perhaps that is the point. For me, it was far to brief.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. This book is being published December 23, 2025.